The Spurs were expected to hang their hats on the defensive end of the floor this year, the product of shifting away from offensively inclined vets like DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge and fully leaning into a youth movement built around switchable perimeter players and a prototypical drop big coming into his prime.
Statistically, at least, that hasn’t happened. Past the season’s halfway point, San Antonio owns the 20th ranked defense, which has fared a tick worse than its 17th ranked offense. Lineups have varied greatly night to night this season, but it’s still worth looking at these numbers in the aggregate and trying to see where things are breaking down.